Chasing the Wind
by Dust in the Light-Crisi
Summary: They've been through Hades and back. They've hurt and fought. Even died. You've seen their suffering; now it's time to see what they were like before the deep-seeded betrayal and parental abandonment split the original trio apart. A series of one shots, featuring Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth. Thuke abound
1. Racing with the wind

**They've been through Hades and back. They've fought and hurt. Even died. But this is the first time within the Inevitability universe that they've just gotten to BE. You've seen their suffering; now it's time to see what they were like before the deep-seeded betrayal and parental abandonment split the original trio apart. A series of one shots, featuring Luke, Thalia, and (sometimes) Annabeth...happy. Expect Thuke abound with possible hints of Annabeth/Luke.**

 **Some of these one shots have existed for some time and are all set within the Inevitability Universe; although they can stand alone, much of the backstory can be found within the various pieces.**

 **This particular story takes place after an event that has yet to occur in Inevitability. I won't be defining this event in this story, but basically, Luke and Thalia come to an understanding at long last. Both of them decide that they are in this thing** **together; they are finally, truly, the dynamic duo that they were always destined to be. This scene fits nowhere in what I actually have planned for Inevitability though. It would be redundant in the storyline.**

 **But it feels so damn good.**

 **Shamelessly, this song is inspired by what I consider to be the Thuke Anthem. Thriving Ivory's Where We Belong. I highly recommend listening to it; honestly, a lot of what I imagine for their story is inspired by that song. Seriously; I have like a amv of all the events, from their meeting to the Letter to Hades oneshot, play out in my head every time I hear it.**

* * *

They're running. Flitting through the trees and deftly dodging branches in their paths at top speed. A slip of the foot and they'll kiss bark and likely scrape off a good portion of skin. But there's no sense of urgency; not fear but fun that drives their step. She was itching to move after being cooped up in their den, sharing warmth and wondering when the storm will let up enough for them to leave. The air tastes so crisp after a week storming, as if the atmosphere has been washed clean. The grand old trees and thick bushes form a complex gauntlet that makes her feel like she's an ancient Greek athlete competing in the Olympics, leaping and dashing and ducking across an obstacle coarse. The birds give startled chirps from their perches, like spectators cheering in the stands and the chattering squirrels trapeze through the air trying to keep time with them, like little children mimicking their favorite athletes.  
There's something amazing about this kind of freedom that she feels welling up within her. Something so refreshing. In that moment, she is, along with the world, whole. Nothing else matters but her body, her opponent's own pace, and the world before her. Stretched out, open and inviting. Welcoming her to do with it as she pleased. To be on the wind; to belong no where and everywhere at once. She could go anywhere, do anything. And she'd never be alone, she thinks with a glance at her partner in crime. They made a promise after all, and she never makes promises she doesn't keep. And surprisingly, she trusts him to do the same.  
Her pacing is effortless, slow for her even. Laid back. Her heart beats in time with the pounding of her legs. A beat on impact and a beat as she extends for another stride. Her lungs burning ever so slightly as she draws in a deep breath full of the musty scent of the leaves. A great leap brings them in dead center into a bursting creek, sending up a shower of water and bubbling laughter from her lips as the cool liquid reinvigorates her senses. He laughs with her as they bound back up the bank.  
The forest breaks into a meadow, and they're racing with the wind. He attempts to pull in front of her, and she smirks. He lost the moment he made this a contest of speed. At her will, the air pressure around her lessens, air resistance dropping to nil, and she feels weightless; half the effort for twice the speed. That was the true marvel of being a child of Zeus; you could bend the very air around you to help you do incredible things.  
"No fair!" He shouts from behind—far behind she thinks with a smirk. "You can't use your god powers!"  
Well, don't try to beat her next time. He'll never win. She has wings. She can fly, fast as a great eagle. As if to prove her point, she notices the shadow of a great raptor just off to her side. He calls to her in greeting. The great bird's trills are a spirited challenge; one she can make out as easily as if it were Luke egging her on. The great bird belongs to her patron after all. A majestic symbol of his might. He quickly joins in their competition, crying out with the same jubilation she feels within her.  
Behind her she hears him calling to her. She skids to a stop and can't keep the patronizing look from her face as she notes he has stopped dead in his tracks. Face flushed, hands on his knees, tongue lolling out of his mouth like a mutt.  
"You...cheat." He says between pants as she prances toward him.  
"How is using my powers cheating? They're part of who I am." She retorts.  
Luke glares at her. "And what's that thing behind you?" He says grumpily.  
"An eagle." She answers, looking at the bird gliding above her head. "Zesus' symbol. You should be more respectful." She says this but there's something in her tone that's almost challenging her own words. Like she isn't sure the god of the heavens deserves that respect.  
Only when she turns back to Luke, he'd disappeared. "Luke?" She feel a bit of panic rising in her like bile; they'd barely been apart for so long that it made her feel exposed to be without him. "Luke! Where'd you go!"  
And all of the sudden her world becomes a jumble as something hard knocks her to the ground. She panics, going for her knife in her boot but two icy hands catch both of her wrists, pinning them to the ground. She tosses her weight and her head around for a moment, hoping to throw her attacker. But then she catches sight of familiar blue eyes, and she scoffs at his amusement.  
"How in the—don't scare me like that!" She growls.  
His grin grows. "Like it? New power I just learned yesterday. Guess I can teleport...like the old man."  
She kept her features impassive, but in her mind she has to acknowledge that's somewhat impressive. "Yeah, yeah cool magic trick. Get off of me fatty!"  
He releases her wrists, and that's when she strikes. Her legs shooting up into his gut and sending him somersaulting over his overinflated head. He lands on butt, and she chuckles as she stands over him.  
"Now we're even."

* * *

 **Another will be out in about a week.**


	2. Making a splash

**Ah yes, my Thuke are hooligans. Again, this piece is very, very old. But I decided to polish it off and send it on its way.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

They're in a small nameless suburb middle of the night, leaping over fences through a maze of streets, thick rags tied to their feet to mute their impacts and both straining to keep from cracking up. Tonight's just about fun, a sort of celebration. They just killed all three Furies without getting a scratch on them. Great teamwork. They're rearranging the hedges around the neatly trimmed homes, filling bird baths with fresh dog poop, splashing buckets of paint on flawless sidings, and smashing garden gnomes with wicked grins.  
There's something very satisfying about their childish escapade. Deep down Thalia's getting revenge on them. For being able to lead a normal life. For being happy. She's imagining their faces when they wake in the morning and find their prissy lawns torn and their garbage on their doorsteps. Serves them right.  
They leap another fence into a neatly trimmed lot, and Thalia grins. They have a pool. Luke gets a mischievous grin as well but raises a brow when his partner in crime flings herself off the diving board into chlorinated waters. The water is cool and dark, and she shoots through it like a torpedo. It feels good. He gets this little crease in his brow and calls out her name, obviously worried when she takes her time surfacing. She is a daughter of Zeus after all, and Poseidon's not a fan of her father. Even less so of any children he has. He gets too close to the edge of the pool. His mistake.  
Her hand catches his ankle, and she pulls him in after her. He's inhaling water the next instant alongside her, sputtering as he breaks the surface. He looks so frazzled, and his hair is stuck up in weird clumps. She laughs, and he splashes her. She splashes him back, forgetting herself and letting out a gleeful, un-Thalia-like squeal. The light to the porch flickers on, and the duo dart out of the pool and over the fence as the angry resident shouts. Thalia would point out that they could have defaced his property instead and not been caught, but she's too busy running for Hades, sopping wet and buzzing with electricity. They dart through the shadows, avoiding the gleam of headlights and street lamps by inches.  
Their feet slop against the pavement as a siren blares distantly. The mortal called the cops on them. So freaking what? She's been evading monsters for her whole life practically. You really think a couple goons in uniforms can catch her, car or not?  
She's just angry that her swim was interrupted. See that's one of her big secrets. Thalia loves swimming. She may be a child of the sky but she was far more at home in the water. Happier. Swimming she's good at and it isn't some divine talent gifted to her by her absent father.  
Which is why she loves pools so much. Something about chlorine mutes the great sea god's power. It's controlled, without an undertow and if it's inside, no waves or wind to stir the glassy blue surface. When she was younger, just out of diapers, Thalia's mom always dumped her at the resort club she had a membership at. Thalia would spend every moment in the pool till her mother came to fetch her. Her lips turned purple and a perfume of chlorine clung to her skin, and Thalia's hands and feet would be wrinkled and pruned like she'd aged a good seventy years. Needless to say, she loved it. Especially since her mom always got this displeased frown on her face at her daughter's appearance.  
They take a winding path, skirting around the cops till the sound of the sirens melts away. It's an uphill climb to the bridge overhang where they'd stashed their stuff and by the time they're changing into dry cloths. Luke grumbles about the wet cloths chaffing his legs and blaming Thalia of course.  
Thalia doesn't take the bait. Not tonight. She's too busy thinking. Daydreaming about living in that house. Being able to settle down and lay down roots in one place. Go swimming whenever she wants and go to school. Make friends other than the cranky thirteen-year-old that she danced between liking and hating. Basically being normal. It's wistful and not new. And completely pointless. No matter how much she wishes otherwise, this is her reality, and she'll have to make due with it.  
She takes first watch that night, shrinking into the shadows as a cop car rolls past. Unable to calm her thoughts and still remembering the cool water on her skin, she doesn't wake Luke when it is his turn for watch. Not even when night burns away into day. But she does decide something that night. She's going swimming again tonight whether or not Luke wants to...

* * *

 **I'll be posting more soon. Happy Thuke is fun Thuke.**

 **~Crisi**


End file.
